


Rudolph The Red Nosed Deerling

by Juliko



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Bullying, Christmas, Drama, Gen, Inspired by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Minor Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Retelling, Snow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:42:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21698683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juliko/pseuds/Juliko
Summary: A young Deerling is born with a glowing red nose that makes him stand out from his peers, and not in the best way. Despite his family's support and trying to be optimistic, he can't seem to fit in with the other Deerling in Christmastown. Despondent, he runs away from home, but he finds himself on an adventure unlike any other. Joined by another misfit, an Alolan Vulpix named Frida, he might just be able to find a place in this world yet.But the question remains: Can he accept himself, red nose and all? A Pokemon retelling of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (And there won't be any dentists, elves, or needlessly awful parents).
Kudos: 2





	1. A Mysterious Birth

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So this was an idea that had been floating around in my head for a while, and now that December is here, I thought this would be a great opportunity to finally write it out. It’s basically Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer but with Pokemon. I know, so original, right? I’ve been a fan of the series overall since I was a kid because I related to Rudolph and his struggles. Also, I've wanted an excuse to write about Deerling for the longest time, since it's my favorite Pokemom ever! I did see a few pieces of artwork showing a Deerling with a red nose, but that was as far as any cross references to Rudolph ever went. Then I had the idea to make a fic, and decided to go through with it. Don’t worry, it’ll be noticeably shorter in length than my other fics, and have a more lighthearted tone than MarJour. Well, as lighthearted as a story of a deer being ostracized by his peers for a deformity can get. Anyway, here’s Rudolph The Red Nosed Deerling! Hope you like it!

One day, in a glistening, snow-covered cave obscured by the bare branches of what remained of a thicket, a Pokemon was born.

He came into the world by way of two Sawsbuck, and lay on a bed of grass and withered leaves. Winter had just come, so the Deerling’s coat was a fresh bronze. The flower on his head was already in bloom, but the petals were limp and hung over his face, obscuring his already clouded eyes. The mother Sawsbuck leaned her head down and zealously washed the amniotic fluid off of her child with her tongue, caressing his scrawny body in a warm massage. It helped that her thick, white, furry bosom, having grown in over the winter, was warm enough for her newborn to snuggle into.

The father walked closer, looking down at his first child with awe. All this time, he had been worried that the birth would end in tragedy. Winter was a perilous time to be pregnant with child, and the land around them had been covered with thick sheets of snow, so thick that it was very difficult to walk through when one needed to be somewhere. Even the shortest walks were made into a troublesome trek, and if one isn't careful, they could get lost in a blizzard and die. Newborns in particular were susceptible to cold, and he was sure the frigid chill in the air would kill his baby. But he could see his new Deerling son stretching out his legs and yawning sleepily, and that was enough to assuage any worries he had.

“Our darling child is here at last,” The father Sawsbuck whispered, his long, stately legs weak from the wonder of it all. “You’ve done quite well, Marena,” He leaned down to kiss his tired wife tenderly.

Marena dipped her nose into her child’s fur, satisfied with how dry it became. “Thank you, Dasher. I’m so glad nothing bad happened,” She told him, her voice hoarse from the pained howling that came from giving birth. “Tomorrow we can take him to see Dr. Chansey just to be safe.”

Dasher nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”

The Deerling in the leafy bed opened his eyes, which saw nothing, as newborns don’t see very well yet. But he instinctively knew he was safe and comfortable here and didn’t make a sound.

“What shall we name him?” Marena asked. “I’ve thought of a few myself. Rollo, Reginald, or Robert. How about those?”

Dasher took a moment to think before shaking his head. “Hmm...I’m not seeing it. None of those seem to fit to me.”

Their child nuzzled against his mother’s body before finding nourishment. Dasher looked down at his child once more, watching him drink his mother’s milk. It was then that a name hatched into his head.

“I think we’ll call him...Rudolph.”

Rudolph...the name sounded clear as a bell to Marena, and it was easy to say. Looking down at her child again, she wondered if the name fit. She didn’t see a Rollo, Reginald, or a Robert. She saw a Rudolph. No other name could be so perfect in her mind.

“That’s a wonderful name!” Marena cajoled with a smile. “We can call him Ruru for short.”

Rudolph’s ears twitched, hearing the conversations going on around him, but he didn’t pay much attention. He detached himself from his mother and laid back down on his scratchy bed, feeling full and satisfied. Dasher and Marena smiled so big, their cheeks hurt, but they couldn’t help it. They finally had a child, and they had to admit, he was pretty adorable.

“One of us will have to invite Santa Claus over to see him one of these days,” Dasher said, kneeling down to get a better look at his pride and joy. “Just think! When I retire, he might be recruited to pull his sleigh in a few years!”

The idea of their child pulling a sleigh around the world was appealing. Marena laughed at the thought. “Let’s not think too far into the future just yet, Dashie. There’s still a while before...Hm?” Marena’s conversation drifted away as something distracted her. A faint red light was shining, lighting up the cave just a bit. Where was it coming from? It nearly blinded the corner of her eye. She looked down and found herself stunned.

The red light was coming from Rudolph. Oblivious to what was happening, Rudolph continued to sleep. Not too long after, the light faded. Dasher and Marena exchanged worried expressions upon seeing what they saw. Instead of their child’s nose being a deep black, like normal Deerling, Rudolph’s nose was red as a Cherubi’s skin. This didn’t make sense. How could someone’s nose be red, much less glow?

“Are you seeing this, Dasher?”

“Indeed I am.”

“Oh dear,” Marena bent down to get a closer look, making sure she wasn’t seeing things. Rudolph’s nose was indeed red, and her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her. “How in the world did this happen? What even is this?”

“I have no idea.”

Any joy in their hearts were kicked to the curb as worry began to spring forth. Was Rudolph sick? Was this some kind of birth defect? Signs of a disease? Did something happen during the birth? Was Rudolph’s life in danger? As the Sawsbuck duo racked their brains for answers, Rudolph opened his eyes, his vision clearing as he finally got a good look at the world around him. His unsteady legs trembled as he attempted to hoist himself up, but being so weak, they couldn’t quite hold his weight, so he plopped back down on his bed.

“What should we do?” Marena asked, her brows furrowing at the sight of her son’s red nose. “His nose is glowing! Literally glowing!”

Just as she said that, Rudolph’s nose flashed red.

Perhaps Dasher had thought too soon that Rudolph’s birth had gone smoothly. Nothing he could come up with explained Rudolph’s red nose. But someone else might be able to. “I’ll go and get Dr. Chansey right away,” Dasher told her, trying to sound confident and composed, but Marena could hear the slight anxious undercurrent in his voice. “You stay with Rudolph. I’ll be right back.”

With a yearning for answers in his breast, Dasher sprung out from the cave and into the world outside. Marena lowered her head down and licked her son once more.

* * *

The two Sawsbuck lived just outside a quaint village called Christmastown. It was a lovely little village where Pokemon and humans coexisted peacefully, though the humans had their own establishments nearby. The part of Christmastown where Dasher and Marena lived was inhabited solely by Pokemon. Dasher’s hooves drummed against the cobblestone paths as dome-like homes ran parallel to him on both sides. Wreaths adorned nearly every door he saw, with red hollyhocks giving them a splash of color to make them stand out in the world of white around them. Gradually, a large, pink, egg shaped building came into view.

Outside, a Pokemon with the exact same shape and coloring swept a broom left and right, clearing away some snow. The Pokemon hummed a merry tune as she immersed herself in her current activity, lost in her thoughts. Dasher’s eyes widened when he caught sight of the ovoid Pokemon, and ran straight up to her. “Dr. Chansey!”

“Hm?” Chansey looked up, seeing Dasher coming up the porch. “Oh! Good morning, Dasher!” She greeted him with unabashed cheer. “What brings you here this morning?”

Dasher stopped to catch his breath before speaking. “My child was just born.”

“Ohhh!” Chansey put her broom down and clasped her stubby hands together in her delight. “Congratulations! You must be so proud! But I must say, I was sure your child wouldn’t be due for another week yet,” Chansey exclaimed, stopping to scratch her left ear with one hand. “Do you want me to come check on him?”

“Yes, please. Come right away,” Dasher told her. “Rudolph looks fine, but there seems to be something wrong with his nose.”

Chansey’s grin didn’t fade, even as Dasher explained the situation. “I see. Let me go get my kit and you can take me to your place.”

Despite being a rather large Pokemon, Chansey wasted no time grabbing her medical kit and accompanying Dasher to his cave. Her stubby legs carried her weight just fine, and she was able to keep up with Dasher’s running pace. When they arrived at the cave, they stopped once they got close to Marena, and were greeted by an amazing sight. Rudolph was standing upright on all four legs. Unsteadily, but Rudolph kept himself up with trembling legs.

“My word!” Chansey ran straight over to Rudolph. “He’s standing up already! What a strong little boy you have!”

“Dr. Chansey…” Marena began, her voice peppered with concern. “Something seems to be wrong with Rudolph’s nose. We’re worried he might have some kind of birth defect or injury.”

“Hmm…” Chansey took Rudolph’s face into her arms to get a better look. A second later, it glowed faintly before fading out. Chansey then pulled out her stethoscope and a few other medical items to examine him. Rudolph didn’t say a word as Chansey lifted his legs and looked all over for anything unusual. He did pull his back leg back when Chansey gently pulled on it. “Hmmm...I don’t see any bumps or tumors...his heartbeat is fine, his pulse is good…” She opened Rudolph’s mouth and used a machine to shine a light into his mouth. “There’s nothing clogging his airway…” Chansey looked at Rudolph’s nose once more. It didn’t glow like last time, but Dasher and Marena could see the deep, pensive look on her face as she stared at their child.

“Well? What’s wrong with him?” Dasher finally asked. As much as he wanted to keep quiet and let Chansey examine Rudolph, the tension in the air was weighing heavy on everyone, him included.

Chansey put her things back in her medical kit. “From the looks of it, your Rudolph is perfectly healthy, so you don’t need to worry a bit!” Chansey told them reassuringly.

Marena exhaled a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“But his nose?” Dasher inquired again.

“I can only think of one explanation for this phenomenon,” Chansey said. “Based on what I’ve seen, it seems Rudolph has something called Nasus Luminosis.”

Once again, Dasher and Marena exchanged bewildered looks. Now this was something they didn’t expect to hear. What in the world did those two words put together even mean? “Umm...what is...Nasus Luminosis?” Marena sputtered.

Chansey raised her arm into the air with confidence. “A more modern term for it is Glowing Nose Syndrome,” She clarified. “It’s a very rare nose deformity that’s only been recently discovered over the past decade. The two main symptoms are a Pokemon’s nose being a different color and randomly glowing like a light. Nearly all the confirmed cases involved noses turning bright red.”

A rare deformity? Recently discovered? Dasher couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This had to be some kind of mistake. How could their child have something like that? Was it even possible? “How many other cases have there been?” He asked.

“According to the seventy-eighth volume of the World Pokemon Medical Journal, there have been twelve confirmed cases of Glowing Nose Syndrome over a period of nine years,” Chansey pulled a clipboard and a pen out and began writing. “And from the looks of it, Rudolph is now the thirteenth!”

“Do you know what causes it?” Marena inquired. “Did something happen when he was still inside me? Is it a genetic defect? Did we do something wrong?”

“Oh! No no! Not at all,” Chansey waved her arms around in an attempt to reassure them. “You guys didn’t do anything to cause this. Honestly, we don’t really know what causes it. Some doctors say it might be a genetic defect, or that it’s caused by a hormonal imbalance, but nothing’s really set in stone as of yet. As far as I know, it’s still being studied, so I don’t have any concrete answers on that one.”

Dasher and Marena looked down at their son, downcast. They had no idea something like this could ever happen to them, and yet, here was Rudolph with a glowing red nose.

“But! I can definitely tell you one thing for sure,” Chansey proclaimed without missing a beat. “It’s not fatal in any way, nor is it linked to any diseases whatsoever. From what I’ve read, Glowing Nose Syndrome doesn’t affect the Pokemon’s lifespan or overall quality of life, and all the Pokemon who were diagnosed went on to live perfectly long, normal lives.”

Something about the way Chansey said that made the two Sawsbuck parents concerned. “You say that like there’s no cure for it,” Dasher said.

“Unfortunately, just as we haven’t found a cause for it, there’s no known cure either,” Chansey told them.

No cure? The two Sawsbuck again stole glances at their child, who at this point managed to walk a few short steps toward the cave wall. On one hand, they were happy to finally have some answers. Knowing that their child wasn’t in any danger was a big relief. Rudolph was perfectly healthy, and they smiled as they watched him stare up at the cave wall, taking in the brand new sights around him. On the other hand, reality was starting to set in as they thought of what this deformity might do to his future. Since there was no cure for Glowing Nose Syndrome, Rudolph would have to live with this odd defect for the rest of his life. Would he be able to live a normal life? Or would his nose make him an outcast in their village? Would he even be able to make friends, get with a mate, and live among society? Would it make him susceptible to hunters and poachers? If that nose were to go alight and hunters were nearby…

Dasher shook his head. No. He couldn’t think like that. What point was there in worrying so much?

“I see,” Marena said, after a brief pause. “Thank you for taking the time out of your day to check on Rudolph. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.”

“Not at all. I’m glad I was able to help you,” Chansey walked over to Rudolph and pulled out a green, ovular pastry with darker sprinkles on it. “Here Rudolph, have a poffin. They’re really good!” She set it down on the ground, and Rudolph lowered his head to sniff the treat. She turned to the Sawsbuck and said, “If you ever need anything, don’t ever hesitate to call on me any time.”

Tipping her doctor’s hat to them, Chansey said goodbye and waddled away from the cave, content with the knowledge that her most recent job was finished.

Rudolph staggered back to his mother with a face full of poffin and feasted on the tasty treat with vigor. His nose blinked a few times as he chewed on the soft pastry, and Marena rubbed her nose against his fur. It was softer than it had been earlier, and was no longer wet and damp. Dasher kneeled down to lower himself to Rudolph’s level, watching his son lovingly.

“Dasher,” Marena said, breaking the tranquil silence. “You love Rudolph, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Dasher replied. How could he not? Rudolph was his son, and would always be his precious child, red nose or no. The thought of casting him aside never crossed his mind, too horrific to even imagine. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Yes. What a silly thing to ask. But...I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried about what the future will hold for him. After all...the world isn’t always kind to those who are different.”

Truer words were never spoken. It was like she had read his mind. Rudolph would have to go to school once he got older, and for all they knew, his peers would probably bully him and shun him for his red nose. Dasher didn’t want his little boy to grow up being treated like a pariah, especially over something that was out of anyone’s control. Dasher wanted Rudolph to be the kind of Deerling who would be proud of who he was. But that was easier said than done. Whatever Rudolph would decide to become, Dasher silently resolved to be there for him every step of the way, no matter what. That was what good parents did, right?

“Whatever happens, he’ll always have us to rely on,” Dasher whispered. Marena saw the determined sparkle in her husband’s eyes. “Besides, I kind of like Ruru’s red nose. It makes him unique. Maybe it’s a sure sign that he’s our son,” Dasher let out a light chuckle. “With this, we can tell him apart from other Deerling!”

For the first time in the entire day, Marena found herself succumbing to a fit of hearty laughter. “I didn’t think of that! You’re right, Dasher! He is our son.”

Completely oblivious to what was going on around him, Rudolph finished the poffin, let out a yawn, and went back to sleep, letting his mind wander off into a hazy dreamland of his own making.

This was how Rudolph the red nosed Deerling’s life began.


	2. A Family Gathering

With Rudolph having come into the world, time passed a lot quicker for Dasher and Marena than it had ever done before. The snowy winter came and went, like a ferocious Beartic stomping around the mountaintops, causing trouble left and right. Food in the wild was scarce, but Dasher and Marena made do with what they could find for Rudolph, which mostly consisted of berries and grass. The Sawsbucks’ thick coats provided respite from the frigid winds, but Rudolph was still a Deerling, and thus had no such protection. Of course, Dasher and Marena were all too happy to let him snuggle into their furry bosoms for warmth, savoring every moment they could spend with their darling child.

Not long after, winter bid goodbye to Christmastown, and spring sprung forth like a baby Buneary bouncing around for the first time, soft and warm, but skittish. Whole gardens of flowers grew from the snow trodden ground, their delicate blossoms scenting the warming air with fresh, sweet nectar, bringing much needed beauty and color to the world. The coming of spring was the promise of a new beginning. For Rudolph, this was his first spring, and by this time, he went from a fresh newborn who knew nothing of the world to a joyful, energetic little fawn. He remained with his parents, but was always eager to learn new things about the world and himself.

One day, Dasher and Marena had taken Rudolph out to a little clearing in the woods. Large, deep green conifer trees provided a spotty barrier against the sunlight, and the pink furred fawn leaped and danced across the grassy meadow, eyes alight at everything new he saw. Everything around him was so shiny and new, coated with glistening dew and brimming with life. His long, almond-shaped ears caught the birdsong of wild Pokemon that soared over the skies, and the croaking of the frog Pokemon that occasionally leaped across rainwater ponds. At one point, Rudolph stopped to see a cluster of large, yellow flowers blooming next to a big rock. He had seen his mother glance at them a few times before, but in a different area. Would she like them? With this thought in mind, Rudolph pulled on a clump of them with his teeth, yanking the sunny blooms out from the ground before galloping over to his mother.

“Mama! Mama!” Rudolph set the flowers down by his mother’s hooves. “I brought you flowers!”

“Daffodils! My, they’re lovely!” Marena used her mouth to pick them up, then stuck them into the tuft of her on her chest. She then lowered her head to lick the flower on her son’s head. “Thank you dear. I love them so much.”

“They’re flowers, not daffodils!” Rudolph exclaimed.

Marena broke into a light chuckle. “There are many different flowers that have their own names. These yellow ones you gave me are called daffodils,” She pointed to the flowers in her fur with one hoof, then pointed towards a rosebush nearby. “See those pretty red ones? Those are roses.”

Rudolph looked up, curious. “Roses?”

“Yes. There are also pink roses, white roses, and yellow roses as well.”

Instantly curious, Rudolph trotted over to the rose bush, his red nose wrinkling as he took in a fresh new scent. Marena went back to Dasher’s side, laying down on a patch of grass, nuzzling against her husband’s glossy coat of brown fur. The flowers on their antlers had already started to bloom, their pink petals fresh and ready to take in sunlight. The spots on their coats turned from snow white to the shade of pink seen on the clouds when the morning sun rose. But when Marena looked up to meet his face, she saw that his ears drooped downward, pointing to the grass, and a faraway look in his eyes. Something was on his mind.

“What’s wrong, Dashie?” Marena asked.

“Well…” Dasher’s voice lowered to a whisper. “I ran into Blitzen and Cupid the other day. They told me they want to see Rudolph.”

“Sounds nice! I bet Ruru would love to meet his uncles,” Marena chirruped. “What’s got you so worried, then?”

The answer was obvious, but Dasher decided to get it off his chest. “I’m scared to see how they react to Rudolph’s nose…” His voice was tight with concern. He and Marena may have gotten used to Ruru’s red nose by now, but relatives, people, and Pokemon outside their family may not be so understanding or accepting. Anything could happen. “There’s never been a red nosed Deerling in existence before, and I don’t know how my brothers are going to react when they see him. Plus, Cupid has a bad habit of blowing things out of proportion and being too dramatic for his own good.”

Marena listened to her husband’s worries without a word, taking everything in with perked up ears. “Don’t get me wrong, I want Ruru to meet the rest of his family. But if something happens and my brothers pick on him...I don’t want to put Ruru through that kind of pain,” Dasher shook his head, ordering the scary images in his head to take a hike. He didn’t have it in him to imagine his son being ostracized by his extended family over his red nose. The last thing Dasher wanted was to accidentally put his own son in a situation that might end up ruining his confidence and self-esteem.

“That is a possibility,” Marena mused, using her hoof to push down some grass. “But we don’t know that it’ll actually happen. Besides, your brothers are good Sawsbuck. Have they ever behaved in that manner before?”

“Not intentionally, no,” Dasher answered. “But again, Cupid can be rather...insensitive, and he often lets his mouth run away from him.”

“True, and it’s not like I haven’t had the same concerns,” As much as she sympathized with her husband’s worries, Marena was a Sawsbuck who preferred to see things for herself and then judge the aftermath rather than sit around and be wracked with doubt. “Personally, I think we should go through with it as is. Let’s just see how everything plays out, and in the event something does happen, you know we can find a way to handle it.”

Good point. What point was there in worrying about something that hadn’t happened yet? Dasher nodded in agreement. If anyone tried to make fun of Ruru, Dasher and Marena would be there to rectify the situation. That was really all there was to it. For now, at least. Besides, who was to say his family wouldn’t like Ruru?

“Papa!” Speak of the Darkrai, Ruru came leaping towards his parents in a single bound, eyes bright as the morning dew. “Guess what? I saw a Scorbunny just now!”

“Did you?” Dasher leaned closer to Ruru to lick the flower on his head affectionately. “They sure are bouncy little Pokemon, aren’t they?”

“You were right! I saw it jump really high!” Ruru jumped up, but barely made it past a foot in the air. Understandable, as his legs, while stronger than they were when he was born, hadn’t completely finished developing just yet. “I wish I could jump like that!”

“You will when you’re older, sweetie,” Marena said. “By the way, we have something we want to tell you.”

Ruru cocked his head to one side. “What is it?”

“Well, your mother and I were talking just now,” Dasher began. “And some time this week, we plan on visiting some family in Christmastown. My brothers Cupid and Blitzen, who happen to be your uncles.”

“What’s an uncle?” Ruru asked, having never heard that word before.

“Your father’s brothers, of course,” Marena explained succinctly. “Since you’re our child and not theirs, that makes you their nephew.”

It didn’t take much for Ruru to put the pieces together. “There’s more to my family than just you guys?”

“Yes. A family isn’t just a mom, a dad, and a child, Ruru,” Dasher continued on. “You also have aunts, grandparents, and cousins. My two brothers, Cupid and Blitzen, told me they want to meet you sometime. Would you like to meet more of your family?”

More family? Ruru found the idea quite appealing. He couldn’t believe his family was much bigger than he thought. All this time, he thought his family consisted of just himself, his mother, and father. But uncles, aunts, cousins, and grandparents? How could he possibly pass up this chance? Ruru began jumping around them, his legs springing off the ground and stretching outward as he did so. “Would I! Of course I wanna! Yay, more family!” His red nose glowed in tune with every jump, as if powered by his enthusiasm.

Ruru was so absorbed in his excitement that he didn’t look where he was going. Something stopped him in his tracks, and he felt something hard against his body. The impact made him roll backward, making his head spin. When he reoriented himself and looked up, he saw something odd standing in front of him. The figure was taller than he was, and it didn’t look like anything he had ever seen before. The strange figure stood on two legs instead of four, with long arms that cradled a white bundle, holding it close to its chest.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” The figure exclaimed, holding a hand to her mouth. “Are you okay? I didn’t see you there.”

The fawn got back on his feet, looking up at her with a combination of awe and fright. Just what was this thing? It didn’t look like any Pokemon he had seen before. He had no words to describe the figure in front of him, but he liked her eyes. They were a bright, shimmering blue, like the sky above them.

“I’m fine,” Ruru stammered. “Sorry I rolled into ya.”

“It’s okay!” The strange thing told him kindly. “Now you be careful. Bye!”

Ruru nodded, and the odd-looking...whatever that was ran deeper into the meadow. Ruru squinted his eyes to see something white in its arms, but couldn’t make out what it was. The young Deerling could only stand there, staring at the spot where the strange figure ran off to, even as Marena approached him.

“Was that a Pokemon just now?” Ruru asked once he took in his mother’s presence.

“Nope. That’s a human,” Marena said. “Humans aren’t like Pokemon. They’re the dominant species of this world. That human in particular is a girl, like I am.”

A human...Ruru found himself enchanted by this new knowledge. He saw his very first human, a woman at that. But other questions pecked at his mind like a Spearow using its beak to peck at berries. “What was that stuff on her body?”

“Those are clothes. Humans wear them for protection against the weather, like the cold or the heat. We don’t need them because our bodies are covered in fur,” Marena explained further. “That stuff on her head is hair. It’s like fur, only it covers their heads instead of their bodies.”

“Ohhhh…” Humans were so different from Pokemon. Ruru had to wonder if the world had many more humans just like that lady he saw just now. Whatever the case, that woman just now was nice. Ruru secretly hoped he’d see her again someday.

* * *

Several days after that, the time had come for Ruru to meet his extended family. At noon, Dasher, Marena, and Ruru left their beloved cave, making their way through tree lined paths that led to another part of Christmastown. The sun was high in the sky again, with nary a cloud in sight. Like before, Ruru stayed close to his parents, both excited and nervous about this new venture. A few hours before, his parents educated him on how to act in certain situations, teaching him polite ways to say certain things, how to act in certain situations, acting them out so Ruru could practice, and so on. Ruru wasn’t confident he had it all down just yet, but kept it all in his head, playing the memories in his mind over and over again.

Eventually, they found themselves in the town square. Ruru hid behind his father, intimidated by the wide open space before him. Cobblestoned streets greeted him, and a stone fountain with a Horsea sculpture on the top stood in the middle, with the Horsea shooting water from its nozzle. Many humans and Pokemon went to and fro, going about their day. Ruru saw a smiling woman showing some people and Pokemon a large variety of flowers. Particularly big red ones, but they weren’t the roses he had seen a few days before in the park. Some fish-like Pokemon leapt out from the water in the fountain, showing off their glistening fins and acting like they were putting on a show.

Some bird Pokemon pecked at the ground by Ruru’s feet. The three he saw were small, grey birds with black markings on their wings and tails, big yellow eyes, and fluffy chest fur shaped like hearts. Curious, Ruru approached them gingerly, wondering if they were friendly.

“Good morning,” Ruru greeted them.

The three bird Pokemon turned to look, tilting their heads to one side, taking in his presence. A quick minute later, one of them said, “Good morning!” back to him.

“What Pokemon are you?”

“I’m a Pidove, as are my friends here,” The Pidove extended his wing out to point towards his two comrades.

Ruru had never seen a Pidove before, especially not up close. He smiled sweetly at them, happy to have made some new friends. As much as he wanted to spend time with them, he had to rejoin his parents when they called for him. The Pidove trio did wave their wings at him in parting, and he waved back with one hoof. Maybe he’d see them again someday.

Gradually, the town plaza disappeared behind him as the family made their way into another clearing. It didn’t have as many trees as their own forest abode did, so it was spacious enough for lots of Pokemon to come out and play. Sure enough, a group of Sawsbuck came into view, turning their heads towards Ruru and his family, watching them with a serene gaze. Ruru stayed behind his mother as the trio approached the group of Sawsbuck.

“Hey there, Dash!” One Sawsbuck with thick, stately antlers leaped in front of them in a single bound. “Glad you came!”

“Hello, Cupid,” Dasher mused, backing away two feet, as Cupid had come a little too close for his liking.

Another Sawsbuck quickly joined Cupid’s side. “Now now, Cue. Back up a little, will ya?”

Realizing his error, Cupid stepped back. “Sorry, Blitzen.”

“Anyway, we’re glad you could stop by,” Blitzen greeted them with a smile, waving his antlers in a graceful arc. Some flower petals lightly fell off of them, floating down to the ground like feathers.

“Us as well,” Marena said.

“By the way,” Cupid began looking around. “Where’s your new fawn? Did you bring him?”

By new fawn, they meant Ruru. Dasher turned to face his son, who timidly hid behind his mother. “Rudolph? You can come out, sweetheart,” He whispered gently. “These two are my brothers, Cupid and Blitzen. They’re your uncles. Do you want to say hello?”

Cupid and Blitzen...Ruru had been looking forward to meeting his extended family all week, but now that he was here, any confidence he had wavered. Another Sawsbuck had joined them soon after, wearing a pink bow around its neck. Were these Sawsbuck really his relatives? They all had smiling eyes and big, strong antlers. Surely they had to be nice, right? Ruru gingerly ambled out from behind his mother, slowly approaching the trio of Sawsbuck in front of him.

“Hello...I’m Ruru,” He stammered.

“Hi there! I’m your uncle Blitzen! Nice to meet’cha, buddy!” Blitzen lowered his head to Ruru’s level, gently brushing the flower on his head with one hoof. The touch was firm but gentle, and Ruru grinned under the pleasant sensation. “This here is my wife, your aunt Isolde.”

“You have a beautiful son, Marena,” Isolde said.

Marena blushed under the praise.

Not long after, Ruru caught a glimpse of two Deerling approaching them from behind. They were just a little bigger than he was, but when they got close, they took a moment to sniff him and check for signs of danger. Ruru looked down at their black noses...and that was when he realized it.

Their noses were black. His was red.

Did all Deerling have black noses?

The two Deerling didn’t seem to take notice. “Hi there! We’re your cousins! Wanna play?” One of the Deerling, a young doe, invited him to play. Overjoyed, Ruru joined them in their play, leaping and jumping across the grass, his worries gone like a passing wind.

As such, the five adults were all by themselves, exchanging friendly greetings and pleasantries. Dasher smiled as he saw Ruru and his two cousins pushing a ball around with their noses. He was so sure things would go badly, and the last thing he wanted was to unknowingly embarrass Ruru in front of his extended family. But seeing the joyful grin on his face was well worth it.

“I gotta ask, what’s up with little Rudolph’s nose?”

And with just one sentence, Dasher’s joy fizzled out. He swiveled towards his brother, eyes wide with alarm.

“I mean, it’s all red. Aren’t Deerling’s noses supposed to be black?” Cupid asked.

“Shh!” Blitzen was quick to shush him. “Don’t be rude.”

“I admit, I’m curious as well,” Isolda joined in on the conversation quickly. “Why is Rudolph’s nose red?”

Marena gave a light chuckle. “Now now, there’s no cause for alarm. It’s just a physical condition Ruru was born with. It’s nothing to worry about,” She explained without missing a beat. “It’s called Glowing Nose Syndrome. For some reason. Ruru’s nose randomly lights up. He’s not sick for anything.”

Isolde let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness for that. I was worried for a second there.”

“But it’s kinda strange, isn’t it?” Cupid inquired once more. “A Deerling born with a red nose that lights up. Kinda funny lookin’ if you ask me.”

“Cupid!” Dasher hissed.

What a surprise. This wasn’t the first time Cupid had tactlessly pointed out someone’s disfigurements. Dasher himself had been a constant victim of his comments since fawnhood. But one would think he’d have grown out of that now that he became a buck. Old habits die hard, indeed. He knew Cupid wasn’t being deliberately mean, just curious, but his mouth often got ahead of his brain. Even so, a word out of line could lead to a variety of problems, especially if certain people or Pokemon got wind of Ruru’s red nose.

“I think he has a handsome nose,” Marena piped in. “Speaking of the children, your little ones have grown quite a bit, Blitzen.”

Dasher sighed. Leave it to Marena to take control of the situation and prevent it from getting worse. He wished he was as confident and self-assured as she was.

“Yep!” Blitzen stole a glance at his children. “Seems like Geno and Gurri really took to Ruru, there!”

Geno was his son, and Gurri was his daughter. The two of them were twins born in the previous summer, so they were much older than Ruru. The three Deerlings pushed around a big gray ball, sometimes with their noses, sometimes with their hooves, marveling whenever it bounced high in the sky or rapidly on the ground. At one point, the ball almost bounced away from them, but Ruru circled around it and bopped it back to the twins.

“Nice one, Ruru! You’re getting good at this!” Gurri exclaimed, taking the ball under one of her legs.

“This is fun!” Ruru cheered when he rejoined them, throwing his long legs into the air with glee.

“Do you wanna play tag with us next?” Geno asked. “I can show you how to play.”

A new game? Ruru found the idea quite appealing. “Sure! Please do!”

Unfortunately, they didn’t get the chance to play. Ruru wound up jumping right in front of Geno, his excitement bubbling over like soda fizz. Right as his and Geno’s eyes met, Ruru’s red nose suddenly flashed. Geno saw red, and he let out a yelp as he squeezed his eyes shut, covering them with his hooves. The flash seemed to come out of nowhere, and Geno, unable to keep steady, rolled over backwards, nearly hitting his head on a large rock just a couple feet away.

“What the?!” Ruru stopped as soon as he saw his cousin just barely miss said rock. “Are you okay?!”

“Nnngh…” Green spots flashed in the darkness as Geno kept his eyes closed. He was able to sit back upright.

“Geno! What happened?” Gurri cried, immediately swiveling towards Ruru.

“I don’t know! My nose just lit up in front of his face!”

“Geno!” Just as quickly, the adults came rushing over. Isolde in particular rushed right over, throwing herself between her son and Ruru, her once soft eyes flashing fire. “You!” Her voice turned harsh as she bleated right in Ruru’s direction. The red nosed Deerling could only shrink backwards, overwhelmed by the anger being thrown at him. “What did you do to my boy?! Did you hurt him?!”

“No, ma’am! I swear! It was an accident!” Ruru cried, his legs trembling. But the question did linger in his mind.  _ Did _ he hurt his cousin? Ruru hadn’t meant to, and he certainly didn’t make his nose glow on purpose. But what if his nose made Geno unable to see? He didn’t know what he’d do if he had hurt his cousin, and they had only just met. He didn’t want to hurt anyone.

But that was as far as her scolding went, as Dasher got right in her face. “You’re accusing my son of hurting your boy?!”

“Dasher! Isolde! Calm down!” Marena wasted no time getting between them. The last thing she wanted was for a fight to break out. “Playing the blame game isn’t helping.”

Ruru didn’t know what the blame game was, but he agreed with his mother right then and there.

Blitzen approached his son gingerly, examining his body for any potential injuries. From the looks of it, he didn’t see any lacerations, gashes, marks, or bumps of any kind. Not long after, Geno opened his eyes again.

“Whoa…” Geno’s gaze fixed right onto Ruru’s nose. “Did your nose really light up just now?”

“You alright, Geno?” Blitzen asked.

It didn’t take long for Geno’s vision to return to normal, and he got right back on his hooves. “I’m fine.”

A sigh of relief passed his lips. “Thank goodness. You gave us a scare, kid.”

Geno walked towards Ruru, looking more curious than angry. Ruru’s ears drooped backward, and he shrunk under his cousin’s gaze. Was he going to be mad at him too? Just like his mother? He didn’t look angry, but Ruru didn’t want to take any chances.

“Hey, Ruru. Why’d you light your nose in my face?” Geno asked, his tone of voice no different than before.

“I’m so sorry!” Ruru lowered his head, overcome with guilt. “It wasn’t on purpose, honest. It lit up on its own. It does that sometimes.”

Dasher gently nudged Isolde with his nose. “See? It was all just an accident. Geno’s okay, and that’s all that matters here.”

Isolde said nothing, but she kept her gaze locked onto her son.

Thankfully, Gurri was more sympathetic. She gently put a hoof on Ruru’s back. “It’s okay. I know you weren’t trying to hurt him.”

He hadn’t expected Gurri to back him up. Touched by her kindness, Ruru allowed his body to relax. At least she knew for sure he wasn’t trying to hurt her brother.

“Ohhh, so that’s what it looks like when it lights up!” Cupid suddenly piped in out of nowhere. “You better control that nose of yours, Rudolph! You don’t want to make everyone go blind!”

“Cupid!” Dasher snapped. Of course. Leave it to Cupid to completely ruin the mood, just when things were getting back to normal. “Shut your mouth for once! Don’t you ever have any tact?!”

“No.”

At least he was honest about it.

Fortunately, the rest of the day went without incident. Ruru, Gurri, and Geno played together until it was time to return home. Before they were to leave, Ruru noticed Isolde taking her fawns into a row of bushes. What were they doing? A desire to know consumed him, and he gingerly walked over to the spot where they gathered, hiding himself in a shrub so he wouldn’t be noticed. But he was not at all prepared for what he heard.

“Children. I don’t want you two playing with Rudolph again,” Isolde told them.

“What?!” Both fawns cried out in shock, their ears standing straight up in alarm. “Why, Mom? He’s our cousin, and I think he’s cool!” Geno exclaimed.

“He nearly got you killed!” Isolde exclaimed. “You could have hit your head on that rock, cracked your skull, and bled to death!”

“Mom, it was an accident. It wasn’t on purpose,” Gurri protested, speaking on Ruru’s behalf. “He wasn’t trying to hurt Geno.”

“Be quiet!” Isolde wasn’t having any of it. “I am your mother, and what I say goes! I can’t risk something like that happening again!”

“It won’t!” Just like her mother, Gurri wasn’t backing down. “He’s not a bad Deerling! He’s family! Besides, everything turned out alright. Geno’s not hurt.”

“Yeah!” Geno agreed. “I wanna teach him how to play hide and seek with us.”

“No, Geno,” Isolde asserted, shaking her head, making the blossoms on her antlers flutter just a bit. “You’re not playing with that red nosed Deerling again, and that’s final.”

Ruru’s heart fell to the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His aunt was telling her kids not to play with him? Which meant...she hated him? How could she hate him? Did she truly believe he was a bad Deerling? He hadn’t meant to put Geno in danger. She knew that. His parents told her so. Or did she hate his red nose? He had been so excited to meet his extended family, but now Ruru wished he had just stayed in the cave. A day he had been looking forward to had been completely ruined. His own aunt hated him now.

“But that’s not fair!” Gurri continued to protest. “Ugh, you’re so overdramatic!”

No longer in any mood to hear more, Ruru dashed away, his vision blurring as fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. As happy as he was about his cousins not holding this against him, waves of guilt crashed down on him. What if something did happen to Geno? What could he have done to prevent this? Would everyone be angry at him or declare him a bad Deerling, should he have actually hurt him permanently? Ruru had no answer.

Except for one. Maybe his red nose was the problem.

“Ruru!” Gurri caught up to him. “Listen, Mom’s really rattled about what happened, but I know you’re not a bad Deerling.”

“I know. Thanks for believing me,” Ruru whispered.

“She’s trying to make me and Geno stay away from you, but she’s just being overly dramatic. Besides, when you start school in a few months, we can see each other,” Gurri explained kindly. “You can make lots of friends and we can play all the time!”

School? Friends? On one hand, that sounded really nice. He had only heard bits and pieces about school, but lots of Deerling went there so they could learn how to be Santa Claus’s special flying Sawsbuck when they got older. Ruru did want to go and meet lots of other Deerling. Making friends, playing games, learning new things...the whole concept of it sounded neat. On the other hand...what if a repeat of this incident happened to another Deerling he met, and the outcome turned out worse? Would they hate him for it? Or laugh at him? Or call him a bad Deerling? Or would they notice his red nose and make fun of him? Ruru stared down at the grass, unable to push away the doubt that gnawed at his heart like a hungry Ekans.

Eventually, Blitzen and his family left, with Cupid joining them, and Dasher, Marena, and Ruru returned to their cave. The red nosed Deerling tried to hold back tears, but when he saw his nose flash before his eyes, they came right out. Ruru sniffled and sobbed as the incident replayed in his head over and over. Isolde’s cruel words cut to the bone. He couldn’t fathom the idea of his own family hating him, and over something Ruru knew was an accident. But was she right to tell her kids to stay away? The answer he conjured in his mind came rushing back to him.

“I wish I had a normal nose.”

“Ruru?” Marena sat down next to him, her eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong, dear?”

Without a word, Ruru nuzzled into his mother’s chest fur. “I’m sorry, Mama. I really wasn’t trying to hurt Geno, I swear.”

“I know. I believe you, dear,” Marena used one hoof to rub her son’s back, holding back her own tears as she watched her son weep bitterly into her bosom.

“Aunt Isolde hates me now. She hates me…” Ruru sobbed, hiccuping with every word he spoke.

“She had no right to berate you like that. But I’m sure she knows in her heart that it wasn’t your fault. What’s important is that nobody got hurt,” Marena whispered, but she could tell her attempt at consoling her son seemed hollow. “And don’t pay your Uncle Cupid any mind. He always lets his mouth run away with him, so he can be insensitive. But he doesn’t hate you, and neither does Blitzen.”

It took a short moment, but Ruru’s sobs fizzled out, and his cheeks were wet and sticky. “Would you and Papa like me better if I didn’t have a red nose?”

What? Marena’s breath caught in her throat, taken aback by her son’s terrible question. How could Ruru even think something like that? Today’s incident must have hurt him more than she initially thought. Then again, how could it not? His own aunt told her own kids to stay away from him. Marena could see the hate in her sister-in-law’s eyes when she tried to mediate the situation. But she did not want her son to feel horrible about himself. Just watching him cry and blame himself for this incident was bad enough.

“Rudolph. I want you to listen to me,” Marena’s voice was still soft, but contained a stern undercurrent that left no room for nonsense. “You are my son, and I’ll always love you, red nose or not. You’re my gift from Arceus, and I wouldn’t trade you for anything. I know for a fact that Dasher feels the same way. We would never throw you away just because you were born with a red nose. Nothing can ever change how we feel about you. Family sticks together through thick and thin, and we never give up on each other,” She lowered her face to Ruru’s and licked the tear stains off of his face. When she finished, she said, “I admit, there’s a lot that we don’t know about why your nose glows and when it chooses to, so we do need to at least work on that. But no matter what, you’re our son, and we’re proud to be your parents. Don’t ever forget that.”

Young Ruru was silent, taken aback by his mother’s proclamations. He had always known his parents loved him, but ever since he eavesdropped on Isolde, he wondered how his parents could love him. He nearly hurt his cousin, even if it was an accident. Nobody would want to love someone who hurt their family. What did his family see in him that was worthy of being loved? His red nose put off Isolde completely, as she made it clear she didn’t want anything to do with him, or she wouldn’t have tried to keep her children away from him. But he could tell his mother meant every word she said, and for now, that was enough.

Ruru nuzzled into his mother’s fur once more. “I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too, darling.”

Once that was over, Marena stood back up. “Now what do you say we have dinner? Your father gathered a good supply of Hondew berries today.”

Flashing a sheepish smile, Ruru stood up alongside her, definitely in the mood for a meal. He wasn’t the biggest fan of Hondew berries, as he found the little bumps on the shells hard to chew, but those were definitely better than what he had to deal with today.

Of course, this was only Ruru’s first taste of sorrow. This wouldn’t be the first time Ruru would be shunned for his red nose.


	3. A White Vulpix

It’s a sad, universal truth that people and Pokemon often fear or hate things that they don’t understand. People or Pokemon with physical anomalies such as Ruru’s red nose are one such thing. Whether it be a small detail, or the person having such a different appearance that they might as well be from another world, things that the majority don’t always understand are oftentimes met with fear, hesitation, or hatred. The world isn’t necessarily a bad place like that, but it can be rather unforgiving as well.

After all, just as there are Pokemon like Ruru, there are just as many who are completely different from their own species, and not just in one area.

The woman Ruru ran into was walking into town with a smile on her face, humming a merry tune to herself, her black ponytail bouncing from side to side with every step. The bundle in her arms squirmed a little, ruffling the blanket that was covering it. Since it was spring, the woman had on a long sleeved aqua green shirt dotted with white spots, blue jeans, and black boots. Light enough attire for a reasonably cool day, but not so light that it would make her cold.

“Now now. Be patient,” The woman whispered to the wiggly bundle in her arms. “We’re almost there. Then you’ll meet your new friends.”

Her soothing voice was enough to make the squirmy bundle finally settle down. Gradually, a lone building came into view. A long, light green house that stretched across several acres came into view, crowned by a roof the same color as a conifer tree. Large windows took up the far edges of the house, but the rest of the walls had much smaller, circular windows. A white sign on the door read _‘Christmastown Vulpix Rescue.’_ The woman smiled as she made her way to the porch, finally having reached her destination.

But before she was to go in, someone else exited the building, a large, jolly man draped in red and white attire. Big, bright blue eyes and a thick, bushy white beard greeted the woman unexpectedly.

“Oh? Hello there, Billie Mae!” The man exclaimed. “Sorry I scared you. I didn’t see you there.”

The wide eyed woman--Billie Mae--relaxed when she took a moment to process the man’s unexpected entrance. “Good morning, Santa. It’s alright. How are you today?” She asked.

“Just jolly, my good friend!” Santa gave a joyful laugh alongside his reply. “I’m not too busy this time of year, so I thought I’d take a stroll around town and relax. By the way,” He leaned a little closer to Billie Mae, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Thanks so much for the nice socks you knitted for me last year. They really kept my feet warm! I really owe you one for all the hard work you’ve put in for me.”

Billie Mae’s cheeks flushed red under the praise. “You’re exaggerating...but I’m glad you like them.”

“Also, I just want to let you know that left a hefty monetary donation to the shelter,” Santa told her. “I overheard Talia and Peg mention you were running low on food bowls.”

A donation? Billie May let out a squeal, holding the bundle closer to her chest. The shelter wasn’t necessarily in dire financial straits, but there were a lot of things that were needed, and nobody had enough to pool together to buy in bulk. Food bowls were one of them, as many older ones had either been damaged or were getting worn down from too much use. A monetary donation was just what they needed, and Santa, a regular patron, never had it in him to turn away someone in need. Billie Mae wrapped one arm around the elderly man, savoring the warmth of his fur coat.

“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to us,” Billie Mae said.

Santa tipped his hat to her, like she was a lady of high society. “Think nothing of it, dear. I’d best be going now. You have a blessed day!” With a friendly wave, Santa returned to his stroll, making his way down the path that led to the forest.

It seemed only appropriate that Billie Mae waved back, though she could only do so with one hand, as the other one was occupied. Still, this morning had already been great, but knowing that Santa left a big donation made it even better. With her heart dancing with glee, Billie Mae skipped into the shelter, which was abuzz with the cheerful chirrups and cries of a gaggle of Vulpix. Orange tails by the myriad greeted her, swaying back and forth as a group of Vulpix all surrounded a woman with blonde hair tied in two braids.

“Please read it again! Please, Janis!”

“Come on! Read it again!”

“What are we gonna read next?”

“I don’t want Sam The Snowman’s story to end!”

The blonde woman, Janis, slid a thin book back into a low shelf, even as she was bombarded by Vulpix jumping up and down, all competing for her attention. “Now now, everyone. Quiet down. I need to talk to Billie Mae for a moment,” Janis looked up, giving the other woman an acknowledging nod. “I’ll read you another story later, so you’d best all go play.”

“Okay!” All of the Vulpix scattered in different directions. One Vulpix nearly tripped over a wooden stool, but managed to avoid it before joining the others.

As soon as she met Billie Mae’s eyes, she let out a sigh, and one of her hands massaged her aching back. “Goodness! The Vulpix all have so much energy!” Janis groaned. “I don’t know how I manage to keep up.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Janis,” Billie Mae reassured, using her free hand to brush a stray hair out of her eyes. “The Vulpix all love you, so I think you’re managing just fine.”

Janis scratched the back of her straw colored head, a little abashed by the praise. It was then that she noticed the bundle of blanket in Billie Mae’s hands. “What do you have there?”

“Well...just look.”

She unwrapped the blanket, setting it down on the bookshelf. Janis’s eyes shrunk in awe of what it unveiled. Curled up in Billie Mae’s arms, head against her sweater covered chest, was none other than a sleeping Vulpix. It had the ears, the face, the paws, and the shape of a Vulpix, but it was still unlike any Vulpix she had ever seen. For one, its soft pelt was snow white, with the inside of its ears being a teal green color. Its eyes were a pristine turquoise, like a fresh reservoir, matching its paws, and its tail was much curlier and more wispy than a regular Vulpix’s tails. Even so, it may as well have come from another planet. But there was no mistaking that it was, indeed, a Vulpix.

“Goodness me!” Janis exclaimed, mouth agape. “That _is_ a Vulpix, right?”

Billie Mae nodded. “Yep! A variant of Vulpix found only in the Alola region.”

The white Vulpix’s ear twitched at the sound of the ladies’ voices. “How in the world did you come across this little thing?” Janis asked.

“I found her sleeping on the side of the road next to a broken PokeBall,” She began.

It happened just last night, when Billie Mae had gone out to get some groceries. She was driving to the store, her headlights lighting up the area around her, revealing a white Vulpix on the edge of the road, with shards all around her. Concerned that the Pokemon might have been hurt, Billie Mae pulled over and went to check on her. The Vulpix wasn’t hurt in any way, but the shards turned out to be a broken PokeBall. Something like that usually meant that a Pokemon had been cast aside by its trainer. Being the caring soul she was, Billie Mae took the Vulpix into her car, took her straight home, and put her in a pile of warm blankets so she could have a warm place to sleep instead of being out in the wilderness, vulnerable in the face of predators. While at home, she did some research on the internet. As it turns out, the Vulpix she found wasn’t the regular fire-type, but rather an ice-type Vulpix, which were native to the Alola region. But what would an Alolan Vulpix be doing all the way out in Christmastown? She could only guess that a trainer from Alola brought it here, or got it from somewhere else, like in a trade.

“I see. You made the right decision in bringing her here,” Janis told her.

Then, the white Vulpix’s eyes peeled right open, a dull turquoise. The Vulpix lifted her head, raising her nose into the air. It twitched as she sniffed all around her. Then she wriggled out of Billie Mae’s arms, landing on the floor feet first, graceful as a ballerina. “Ooooh!” The white Vulpix took in all the new sights and smells, enthralled.

Billie Mae kneeled down to her level. “Hello there. What’s your name?”

The white Vulpix turned around, cocking her head to one side as her teal eyes met Billie Mae’s. With a smile, she cooed, “I’m Frida! Where am I?”

“You’re at the Christmastown Vulpix Rescue,” Billie Mae explained, taking a moment to tell her what had happened and how she wound up here. Frida said nothing the entire time, but at one point, she looked down at the floor, looking almost despondent. “Would you like to stay with us?”

Frida looked all around the building. It was comfortably warm, and she could smell the heat in the air. Other Vulpix were playing right outside, with some of them kicking snow at each other, giggling all the while. The idea of staying here with new friends did seem appealing. Frida looked back at Billie Mae and smiled. “Sure!”

Janis wasted no time giving Frida some breakfast, figuring she must be hungry after all she had gone through. But Billie Mae couldn’t help but feel Frida’s reaction to her new circumstances seemed...odd. Some Pokemon that were brought here were often very timid, so much so that they’d stay in one place and not warm up to strangers right away. Understandable, as most Pokemon brought to the shelter came from troubled homes or were rescued from abusive trainers or neglectful homes. Some would even shut down completely. Others, like some of the Vulpix playing outside, did warm up eventually and were all too happy to relish their new lives once they realized they were safe here. But Frida barely had any reaction. She only frowned once when Billie Mae told her what had happened to her. Did she even realize the gravity of her situation, or was she simply putting on a brave face? Perhaps it’d be best to not mention it to her anymore. Maybe Frida didn’t want to talk about it. What was the point of prying?

For now, she was just happy Frida was safe and in a better environment. As Janis stopped to brush Frida’s tail, Billie Mae went outside. “Everyone! Come on back inside! I have something I want to show you!”

Eager to see what it was, all the Vulpix came running back into the building, stopping in their tracks and gaping when they saw Frida in their play area. Some of the Vulpix exchanged confused, bewildered glances amongst each other. Others simply cocked their heads to the side, wondering just what that white thing was. Frida looked up from her meal, and her turquoise eyes sparkled.

“Everyone. We have a new friend who’s going to live with us from now on,” Billie Mae announced cheerfully, gesturing towards their new housemate. “This is Frida. She’s a Vulpix just like you, but she’s a new type of Vulpix from a land far away. Be sure to make her feel welcome.”

Normally, the Vulpix would be cheering with excitement whenever something new happened. But all the Vulpix simply stood there, still as statues, unable to comprehend this new face in front of them. Curious, Frida gingerly walked over to them, ears twitching.

“Hiya! I’m Frida! Wanna play?” Frida greeted them, her voice brimming with cheer.

Again, some of the Vulpix looked at each other, their eyebrows furrowed, unsure of just what to do. Several of them went back into the yard to play. Only one Vulpix approached Frida, shyly grinning at her. “Sure! I’m Kit-Kat!” The Vulpix named Kit-Kat invited Frida outside, and the two of them were running in circles, laughing merrily.

But the rest of the Vulpix were still huddled together in the playroom. One Vulpix, who had a purple bow on her chest, spoke first. “That white Pokemon can’t be a real Vulpix, can it? She’s not even the right color!” She exclaimed in a haughty manner.

“You’re right, Priscilla. It’s so weird…” A Vulpix with a yellow bow on her tail said.

“Ugh! Look at them, Marley!” Priscilla pointed to Kit-Kat and Frida. At this time, they had stopped running around, and Frida was rolling in the snow. Priscilla’s face scrunched up like she smelled a Pokemon’s droppings, and just the sight of Frida disgusted her. “I don’t know what possessed Billie Mae to bring her here.”

“Come on, Priss. Don’t you think you’re being a little mean?” Another Vulpix chimed in. “She seems nice. So what if she doesn’t look like us? She’s still a Vulpix. Why not give her a chance?”

“Don’t even bother, Riesz!” Priscilla barked. Paying her no heed, Riesz gave a huff before trotting outside, joining Kit-Kat and Frida in their play.

Priscilla couldn’t understand why this random Pokemon was grouped in with them. As far as she was concerned, that white Vulpix might as well have been another Pokemon entirely. This was a Vulpix shelter. Couldn’t Frida have been sent somewhere else? Disgusted by the idea of sharing her home with what may as well have been an imposter, Priscilla turned her nose up and walked away, with Marley trotting close behind.

Frida, oblivious to Priscilla’s contempt, had a new home.

* * *

It took no time at all for Frida to settle in nicely, and she loved her new home. There wasn’t a day that went by where she wasn’t in awe of something new that caught her eye, like the brightly colored toys the other Vulpix played with every day, or the Pidove and Pidgey who often came into the yard to either peck at the fruits in the tree or stop and rest after a long day of flight. Every day was full of wonder to Frida. The women had to wonder just what kind of life Frida lived if she was this happy about seeing things everyone else took for granted.

But her cheerfulness and optimism left her oblivious to everyone else around her. One day, everyone was going about their business, either playing or eating their lunch. It was a relaxing day, and the Vulpix found it the perfect day to just lounge around. Except for Frida. The white Vulpix bounced all over the place, like she was on a sugar high. She blew right in between Priscilla and Riesz when they were having a conversation, nearly knocking Riesz over. Frida continued to dart towards everything she saw, like she hadn’t even seen the two Vulpix.

“Ow!” Riesz cried out. “She stepped on my paw!” Her paw throbbed with pain, and flicking it only worsened it.

“And she doesn’t even apologize!” Priscilla sneered, watching as Frida jumped off another Vulpix’s back to reach a low hanging tree branch. “What a little brute.”

Paying the miffed Vulpix no heed, Frida walked across the tree branch, slowly creeping towards a lone Pidgey eating a berry. The tiny bird Pokemon had an Oran berry in its talon, and was using its beak to peck at the hard skin. Frida lowered her body and slowly inched closer. Then, the Pidgey’s eyes met hers, and Frida leapt at it. The bird flew upward, dodging the assault, and Frida fell on top of two Vulpix who were laying underneath the tree.

“Whoops!” Frida yelped.

“Hey!” One of them was quick to admonish her after kicking her off with his hind legs. “We’re not your personal cushions, y’know! Would it kill you to be a little more considerate of everyone around you?!”

Frida lowered her head, accepting the scolding without protest. “I’m sorry,” She pushed out an apology and went right back to running across the yard.

Thoughts of catching the Pidgey from earlier left her mind as something else caught her attention. A large, sea green ball about the size of her head lay on the grass, all by itself. Frida crooned as she pawed at the ball, happy to have found something she could play with. She made it move forward, backward, and sideways, waving her tail in the air as she did so. Then, she balanced the ball on her nose and stood on her hind legs, trying to balance it. The ball slid off her nose, and any further attempts at balancing it failed. Undeterred, Frida used her front paws to kick the ball towards another tree. But she kicked it too low, and the ball wound up striking Billie Mae in the back as she brushed Kit-Kat’s hair.

“Oww!” Billie Mae yelped in pain. A hair brush fell out of her hand, and Kit-Kat curled into a ball to protect herself. With a hand on her back, she stood up and used her foot to direct the ball back to Frida as she walked towards her. “Did you do that just now, Frida?”

“Sorry, Billie Mae,” Frida apologized, her ears folding downward. “I didn’t mean to hit you with it.”

Billie Mae smiled, kneeling down to Frida’s level. “It’s okay. I know it was an accident, but you shouldn’t just throw the ball everywhere willy-nilly. If you’re too rough, you could hurt someone. You need to be more mindful of the people and Pokemon around you,” She explained gently, hoping Frida would understand what she was trying to tell her. “I suggest paying more attention to your surroundings, and when you play, try to be more slow and gentle, especially when playing with the other Pokemon.”

Frida listened to the explanation in silence, and when Billie Mae finished, she nodded. “I’ll try.”

“If you want, I can help you with it and teach you some things. Would that be alright?”

“Sure!”

But having too much energy and playing rough weren’t Frida’s only problems. One time, she found a pile of Pecha berries outside. Curious, she sniffed them and took a bite, finding the sweet, tangy taste to be quite appealing. Before long, she had eaten every single Pecha berry.

“Oh no!! What did you do?!” An angry voice made Frida whirl around, and she was face to face with Marley, one of Priscilla’s friends.

“What’s wrong?” Frida asked.

“Uuugh!! Why’d you eat all my Pecha berries?!” Marley screamed in Frida’s face, making the white Vulpix fall on her rear.

“Wait, those were yours? I thought they had fallen from the tree,” She said. There was nothing that indicated that the pile of Pecha berries belonged to somebody else, so there was no way she could have known. But Marley wasn’t having any of it. She continued to howl and yell at Frida like she had committed a serious crime. Frida could even feel Marley’s body heat rising in temperature. “I’m sorry. If you want, I can find you new Pecha berries. How about we look together?”

Unfortunately, Frida’s apology and offer to make it up to her fell on deaf ears. “You’re so stupid! I hate you!” Marley yelled before turning on her paws and running back into the building. Frida’s stomach was full, but it did nothing to assuage the guilt that gnawed at her from inside.

Later that day, Frida searched for new Pecha berries and gave them all to Marley to make up for having eaten hers. Marley accepted them, but she continued to glare and frown at Frida. The white Vulpix could see her gesture wasn’t enough to smooth things over, but she gave her the berries and left her alone after that. But from that day on, the Vulpix distanced themselves from Frida, finding her boisterous personality and boundless energy to be troublesome and little more than a nuisance.

Over the next few months, the fresh spring gave way to the warmth of summer, and eventually summer left so autumn could take its place. Leaves on the trees changed from their usual green to colors that never ceased to be amazing. Brilliant gold, blinding when directly underneath sunlight. Rich bronze, like a stately Sawsbuck’s fur. Blazing vermilion red, like a flame at the tip of a Charmeleon’s tail. A vivid orange like an amazing sunset. Frida found herself particularly fond of the piles and piles of leaves that would fall in droves.

“Whee! Yay!” At one point, she leaped into one particular pile, rolling around and spreading leaves everywhere. “This is fun!”

Billie Mae frowned, having just finished raking them into a neat pile. Now here was Frida, making a mess of her work. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Frida, but I’m trying to get this area clean,” She told her calmly, using her broom to push some leaves back towards the pile. “Would you mind going back to the play yard?”

“Awwww! I don’t wanna!” Frida whined, but she did oblige and hopped out of the pile. “Okay. The leaves are so pretty, though.”

“There’s a bunch of them out back. You can play in those if you want,” Billie Mae suggested.

Frida’s smile returned as quickly as it had disappeared, and she bounded towards the play area. She found the pile that Billie Mae had mentioned and dove right in there, throwing leaves everywhere, making them rain down all around her. Other Vulpix stole annoyed glances at her.

“Hmph. So uncivilized,” Priscilla hissed under her breath before licking her paws.

After a bit, Frida popped her head out from the leaves, wondering if maybe someone else would like to play with her. One trio of Vulpix had clustered around the slide. They were new Vulpix who had been brought in a month before. Would they be potential friends? Frida smiled and walked over to them.

“Hello! Want to play with me?” Frida asked as nicely as she could. “I found a big pile of leaves we can play in!”

The three Vulpix exchanged perplexed looks. Only one of them answered her question. “Sorry. We’re not interested,” He said before going back to conversing with his friends.

Frida deflated but moved on. There were plenty of other Vulpix around, so she could ask them. Just as many Vulpix left the rescue center as often as they came in. The only Vulpix that Frida had gotten somewhat friendly with, Riesz and Kit-Kat, had been adopted by other trainers two months before. As happy as Frida was that they got adopted, a pang of sadness gripped her heart as she realized that she’d never get to see them or play with them again. They were the only two Vulpix that bothered to give her the time of day the entire time she’d been here. Sure, Janis and Billie Mae were nice, as were the other workers and volunteers, but Frida wanted to have Vulpix friends as well. Priscilla and Marley were definitely out of the question, as they made no secret of the fact that they hated Frida’s guts.

One day, Janis and Billie Mae got to talking in the break room. “None of the Vulpix seem to want anything to do with Frida,” Janis said as she watched Frida paw at a stone all by her lonesome. She could see her from the window, and Frida’s tail was deflated and flat on the ground. Her heart went out to the white Vulpix in that moment. “I’d adopt her myself, but some of my Pokemon won’t be able to handle her energy level.”

“Same here. Several of mine have a lot of special needs and physical issues,” Billie Mae replied, sitting down and sliding a can of soda toward her friend. “I’ve been teaching Frida social skills on the side, and I’ve been trying to get the Vulpix to include her in their games, but…” The girl shook her head in resignation. “No dice.”

Janis rested her chin on her hands, ruminating over the situation. “Nobody deserves to be excluded or cast out. This is supposed to be a place where everyone can feel accepted. But we can’t necessarily tell the other Vulpix how to think or order them to act a certain way.”

Billie Mae took a sip of her own soda, barely paying attention to the fizzing in her mouth. “I wonder if we should talk to Peg about this. Maybe she’ll know what to do,” She suggested.

“We might as well. We’re getting nowhere at this point,” Janis replied, her brows furrowing from the frustration of it all. “For what it’s worth, I’ve been trying to promote Frida like crazy on our website this past week, and a few applications for her have come in. Maybe I can look them over later.”

Since the window was closed, Frida couldn’t hear their conversation. If she had, she would have been bouncing off the walls at the idea of being adopted. Knowing that Janis and Billie Mae were advocating for her would have given her self-esteem a big boost. The two women figured it’d be best not to get Frida’s hopes up, as nothing was set in stone. However, as it would turn out, they didn’t need to tell her anything about the possibility of her being adopted.

The next day started out like a typical day. The regular Vulpix going about their merry way, and Frida being left to her own devices. Frida walked through the yard, wondering if any more leaves had fallen from the trees. She hoped there would be some bright red ones, as those were the prettiest ones in her mind. But as she passed one of the swing sets, her pointed ears picked up a most curious sound. The noise was faint enough that a human’s ears would have overlooked it, but even in its quietness, Frida’s ears heard it clear as day. Sniffles and whimpers, like a girl crying.

Was someone upset? Frida found that the noise was coming from inside the building. It was empty, as the volunteers were someplace else, and the Vulpix were all playing outside. Frida hopped inside, finding Priscilla crouched under a table, tears streaming down her face. Frida’s mouth fell agape at the sight of her in such a state, for she had never seen the normally refined and snobbish Vulpix so distraught before. Her orange, beautifully curled tails had deflated, and her eyes were red and puffy from so much crying.

“Why…? Why did they choose not to adopt me?” Frida heard Priscilla whisper under her breath. “I behaved as nicely as possible, and yet...!”

So that was why she was crying. Earlier, some humans she hadn’t seen before visited the facility. Priscilla, along with three other Vulpix, were shown off to them, since she overheard the volunteers say the couple was looking for a Vulpix to adopt. Frida hadn’t paid it much mind, as she was too busy climbing trees and trying to catch Pidove to notice. But she remembered how Priscilla spent a lot of time brushing her tails and licking her paws to look as pretty and composed as possible. A stark contrast to how desolate she was now. Frida could only assume the humans picked another Vulpix and not Priscilla.

“Priscilla?” Frida walked over to Priscilla, standing right in front of her. “You okay?”

“Go away!” Priscilla snapped, continuing to cry. “Leave me alone!”

Frida was no stranger to Vulpix telling her to go away, this being no different. But Frida had learned from Janis and Billie Mae that it’s always good to be there for someone when they’re sad. Someone might need a friend to lean on and wipe their tears when they’re in a dark place. Frida smiled. She and Priscilla may not have gotten along, but that didn’t mean Frida couldn’t at least try to reach out. Priscilla needed someone right now. Rather than do as Priscilla demanded, Frida crawled right next to her, stroking her warm fur with one paw.

“There there. Don’t cry. It’ll be okay,” Frida told her gently, in a low whisper.

Unfortunately for the white Vulpix, the gesture didn’t make Priscilla feel better at all. Instead of smiling and accepting Frida’s kindness, Priscilla snapped towards the white Vulpix with a jerk of her head, using her front paw to swipe Frida’s away. Narrowed, piercing eyes glared at Frida.

“I said leave me alone! Or are you too stupid to know when someone wants their space?!” The contemptuous, patronizing way Priscilla hissed that sentence completely flattened Frida.

“I...Sorry...I just wanted to cheer you up…” Frida sputtered, aghast that her attempt at reaching out to her blew up in her face. Weren’t people supposed to be happy when someone came to cheer them up?

“Well, I don’t want to be cheered up!” Priscilla yelled, her tails flaring upward. “Especially not by a stupid white Vulpix like you!!”

Frida’s pulse rushed through her body, and she didn’t like the way her limbs fizzed. She had no idea what had brought this on. Sure, Priscilla made no secret of the fact that she hated Frida, but why would she be angry about someone trying to be kind to her? This went against everything Frida had been taught.

“Actually, let me ask you something,” Priscilla hissed, her snout twisted into a contorted snarl. “How’d you come to this rescue?”

“Uhhh…” Frida stopped to think for a second. “All I know is Billie Mae brought me here one day. I was asleep.”

“No, before that. What was your life like before you came here? What happened?” Priscilla asked out of nowhere. “Did your trainer die? Were you abandoned? Did someone give you up? Was your trainer arrested or something?!”

Every single one of those questions hit Frida like a truck, but as much as she searched through her head, no answer came to mind. Everything before meeting Billie Mae was completely blank. All she could remember was that she woke up in Billie Mae’s arms the first day she came to the facility. Nothing else before that. She did ask Billie Mae about it once, and she told her that she found her on the streets one day with a broken PokeBall next to her. But a broken PokeBall wasn’t exactly a solid answer in and of itself.

“I...I don’t…” Frida’s ears drooped as the realization sunk in. “I don’t remember anything from before…Billie Mae said there was a broken PokeBall next to me when she found me.”

Instead of feeling sympathy for her, Priscilla broke into contemptuous laughter. Frida stood on all fours, her back and tails arched in anger. “Hey! It’s rude to laugh when somebody’s sad!” Frida scolded.

Priscilla paid her no heed. “You don’t even remember your life before you were brought here?! Oh, that’s hilarious!” The Vulpix continued to laugh for another few seconds, but her dark expression returned as quickly as it left. Priscilla walked right up to Frida, so close that their noses were centimeters apart. “You know what I think? I think your trainer abandoned you, and because you’re such a wild, unrefined, inelegant, rambunctious little brute who causes destruction everywhere you go!!”

Frida could hardly breathe through the shocking verbal attack. Her mind searched for something to say to make her stop, but nothing came except a hasty “You don’t know that!”

“It’s no wonder nobody ever bothered to adopt you!” Priscilla shouted further, every word dripping with venom. “I mean, look at you! A white Vulpix?! That’s unheard of! I honestly have to question whether you’re even a real Vulpix at all!! I bet that’s what you are!! You’re a big fat fake!!”

A real Vulpix? Frida blinked. Was she a real Vulpix? She looked like one, but did that even make her a Vulpix at all? The dam broke. Frida saw red, and her outrage completely burst out. Frida roared and sprung towards the culprit, the two foxes rolling across the ground, their voices morphing into screeches of agony and rage. Frida bit down on Priscilla’s neck, but the latter howled and used her back legs to kick the white fox off of her. Instead of backing down, Priscilla then proceeded to tackle Frida to the ground and scratch her face, claws unleashed, swiping at her white fur. Frida curled inward to protect herself before finding an opening, headbutting Priscilla so hard, the fox Pokemon flew against a bookshelf, sending books scattered across the floor. Undeterred, Priscilla made a mad dash towards Frida, knocking over several chairs and toys in the process. Frida attempted to run away, but Priscilla bit down on her tail, dragging her back kicking and screaming.

“What’s all that noise?!” Several Vulpix gathered by the door, eyes wide from the violent scene playing out before them. Frida managed to kick Priscilla in the nose and ran to another side of the room, but the indignant fox leaped across desks and dressers, sending books and other items straight to the floor, with several shattering on impact. Priscilla caught up to Frida, lunged at her, and pinned her to the floor, growling and howling like a mad beast, clawing at her white fur, drawing fresh blood.

“Janis!! Billie Mae!!” One of the Vulpix broke from the group to call for the girls.

“I AM A REAL VULPIX!!” Frida bellowed at the top of her lungs, undeterred by Priscilla clawing at her neck to the point of sending white tufts of fur all over the place.

It was then that a blast of ice came firing out of Frida’s mouth, blowing into Priscilla’s face like a blizzard. The icy blast was so sudden, it sent Priscilla rolling across the floor, leaving parts of her face covered in ice crystals. For a brief moment, as they melted quickly. But one wall of the facility had turned into a sheet of ice, and several toys had been frozen as well. The Vulpix audience outside gasped at what Frida had just done, paying the white Vulpix little heed as she leaped outside. Priscilla shook the leftover ice off herself before giving chase, firing back by shooting a stream of fire. All the Vulpix scattered as flames came spiraling towards them, striking a lone bush. Unaware that the bush was now engulfed in flames, the two Vulpix were entangled in one another’s grasp, clawing and biting yet again.

“Everyone! Get inside!!” Billie Mae rushed towards the Vulpix and escorted them inside. Janis appeared just as quickly, right as Frida screamed from feeling Priscilla’s teeth in her neck.

“Stop! Stop fighting, both of you!” Janis used both hands to pull the two Vulpix away from one another. The two of them finally stopped to catch their breath.

Billie Mae rushed back outside, fire extinguisher in hand, and fired a cloud of white, pressurized air at the flaming bush. Within minutes, the flames died down to nothing, leaving a charred, naked bush devoid of its green leaves. Disaster averted. But the girls knew that even though the facility was safe, the fires within the two fighting Vulpix weren’t.

Janis gently put the two of them down on the floor, staring them down with a stern expression. “Alright. Now that we’ve calmed down, I want you two to explain to me what’s going on,” Janis told them, her stone hard voice leaving no room for nonsense. “Why are you two fighting? And why is the wall covered in ice?”

Priscilla was the first to shout, “Stupid Frida attacked me!”

Frida fired back, “Prissy was being mean and calling me names and saying I’m not a real Vulpix! I was only trying to cheer her up!”

“You wouldn’t give me any space!”

“Enough! Stop shouting!” Janis exclaimed.

But Priscilla didn’t stop. Still fired up from her confrontation, Priscilla let it all out. “Why do other Vulpix get adopted and I didn’t?! I behaved as perfectly as possible and nobody even picked me!! It’s not fair!!” She turned right back towards Frida. “And her! She has no right to even be here!! I bet she’s not even a real Vulpix, what with all her white fur and ice attacks!! Nobody will ever want her!! I’m way better than her in every way!!” She leaned right into Frida’s face and screamed, “I wish you had never come here!! Billie Mae should have left you on that street to die!!”

“Priscilla!” Billie Mae yelled, aghast.

Janis returned to speaking. “That’s not for you to decide, Priscilla!” She wasted no time scolding her. “Look, I get that you’re upset that nobody adopted you. You have every right to feel sad and angry about it. But that is never a valid reason to resort to violence and take your anger out on them, verbally or physically. That’s not how we solve problems here. Nobody is better or worse than anyone else here. We’re all equal.”

Priscilla gave a scoff, not believing Janis’ words one bit.

“That goes for you too, Frida,” Janis turned towards Frida, who said nothing. “If someone is being mean to you or bullying you, you must always tell me or Billie Mae about it. We’re here to help resolve the problem and work things out. You should never let anger get the better of you, nor should you resort to violence. That just causes more problems and doesn’t help your case.”

Neither Vulpix said anything.

“You’d best go to your quarters for the time being,” Janis advised. “It wouldn’t do any good to force you two to apologize. Take some time to cool off and reflect on what you’ve both done today. And Priscilla, because your fire attack nearly put everyone in danger, you won’t get any dessert for the next three days.”

The only response Priscilla had for that was an angry whimper.

Frida was the first to head back to her assigned room, but the anger in her heart still simmered red hot. Priscilla had no right to claim she wasn’t a real Vulpix! What did she know? Still, her venomous words stung in a way that felt like molten lava sloshing in her soul. Was there...some truth to what Priscilla was saying? Was she even a real Vulpix? It would explain why nobody had ever wanted to adopt Frida, nor did anyone really give her a second glance, human or Pokemon. Did the other Vulpix think that way as well? Frida had no idea what to think. All she had wanted to do was cheer her up, and look what happened. It was pointless to have done so. Priscilla never liked her anyway.

Nor did anyone else, really.

But the implications of Priscilla’s cruelty unnerved her. Frida knew she deserved better than this. As much as she liked Billie Mae and Janis, she instinctively knew they wouldn’t be able to adopt her even if they wanted to. None of the other Vulpix wanted anything to do with her. Stray tears creeped from her eyes. Why was she even here at the rescue? Did she even deserve to be here? Frida had no answers. The walls around her seemed to close in on her, even though the room itself was big. She wished she was an Abra so she could teleport away and leave.

Wait…

Wait a minute…

Frida’s blue eyes snapped open. Who said she couldn’t just leave? It wasn’t like the girls tied her to a rope and expected her to just stay here. Nobody had said anything about her not being allowed to just walk out of here and find something better. There was more to the world than just the rescue. The more she thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. Nothing was tying her here. Sure, she didn’t have wings like the bird Pokemon, but it wasn’t like anyone told her she couldn’t leave the facility. It wasn’t like any of the Vulpix wanted her here either.

In that moment, Frida made her decision. If she was unwanted here, she could just go someplace else.

Dinner came and went, and Frida didn’t bother to eat. She was too sullen to eat, though Billie Mae did leave a bowl next to her bed in case she was hungry. Frida’s mind was on other matters, and she wasn’t sure if she could swallow food in that moment. When night fell, she did eventually eat her dinner, even though the passage of time made it cold and soggy. A journey outside wouldn’t be good on an empty stomach.

* * *

Frida waited anxiously for everyone to fall asleep. Once she was sure everyone was dead asleep, Frida made her move. She quietly tip-toed to the door, using one paw to push it forward. The doors to the Vulpix’s rooms were left open in case there was an emergency, like if a Vulpix got ill during the night and someone needed to get in right away. Frida poked her head out and checked to see if anyone was around. Everything was dark, and there were no people in sight. The coast was clear. Frida walked out and made her way to the front door, the little Pokemon door at the very bottom of it in particular. It was a large square shape, with a flappy plastic cloth draped over it.

This was it. Now or never. Plucking her courage, Frida slipped through the little square, and when she looked up, she saw a sea of stars twinkling in the night sky. If her mind wasn’t stuck in the fog that Priscilla created with her venomous words, she might have taken a moment to admire it. But she stopped to remember her mission. She was done being in a place where she was unwanted. Frida trotted twenty feet from the facility before stopping for a brief minute to say her goodbyes.

“Welp. This is it,” Frida whispered. “You got your wish, Prissy. You don’t have to put up with me anymore, just like you always wanted.”

She walked a few more steps, autumn leaves crunching beneath her paws before stopping yet again. Billie Mae and Janis flashed through her mind. The two humans who took her in without hesitation, who always liked her and were sad that their efforts to help Frida make friends were in vain. Frida wished she didn’t have to leave them. They had done so much for her already. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful to them. They were the only two who had ever been nice to her.

But as much as she wanted to stay for their sake, Janis and Billie Mae alone weren’t enough to justify remaining at the rescue. If she stayed there, she would be forever reminded that she wasn’t like the other Vulpix. Little more than a blight on their perfect world. She was sick of being in a place where she would forever be unwanted.

“Goodbye Janis and Billie Mae. Thank you for saving me,” Frida whispered in a low, gentle voice, losing the bitterness it had before. “I’m sorry I can’t stay here. I hope you guys manage to save even more Pokemon and help them feel wanted.”

With all said and done, Frida made a dash towards town, intent on leaving the past behind her. She wasn’t sure where she’d wind up, but any place that didn’t have Priscilla in it was good enough for her. The less she had to deal with that awful Vulpix, the happier she’d be. She planned to make a new life for herself. How it would turn out, she didn’t know, but she hoped it’d be better than how it was before.

And thus began the tale of another outcast.


End file.
